Evaluations

Great professor. Makes reading plays FUN. You need to go to class though, because there is a lot of discussion about the plays you read. Half of the plays are modern, so they are pretty easy to read The other half are more difficult, since they are Roman, Greek, and Shakespearian. Not too much work, just one paper, one midterm, one final. If you attend lecture and remember what he says, midterm and final aren't too bad (Although he gives attendance checking quizzes once every week or so during lecture). Overall, a great English class to take.

This class was ok ... Read like 15 plays, write a paper, midterm/final, a few pop quizzes, and some reading responses. I didn't get a whole lot out of lecture. For one, Dickey speaks way to softly and does not use a microphone -- and there is usually some kind of construction or gardening going on outside. Your ears will adjust by week 5 though. Plus, lectures are not all that informative ... sure he is engrossing and holds interactive discussions, but you end up discussing one topic about the whole play (and it is usually something abstract). I guess he thinks that this is a more interesting approach than giving an actual lecture ... Eh, feels like I could have walked a way with more if he didn't need to be interesting. (Oh yeah, enjoy the quirky theater majors who love to hear themselves speak ... gag).

Professor Dickey is very open to all opinions. He won't disagree with you, and sometimes it gets annoying since everyone wants to be heard and it goes on and on. But this class is very interesting. If you enjoy reading plays, this is your class because there was only one essay written but tons of plays read. I enjoyed almost all of the reading. He gives out pop quizes that he calls *exercises* once in a while during lecture, but those are very short and simple. Overall, write a good essay, read most of the books, and you will ace your final.

I learned a lot from this class. If you pay attention (sit in the front if you can't hear), you can get a lot out of his lectures. Yes, it was sometimes boring, but that can be expected. The midterm was easy, but the final is slightly harder. Be prepared to read closely if you want to do well. Warning: 6-8 page paper on a poem.

By the time most of us English majors get to upper-division, we've studied Shakespeare three maybe even four times. The best part about Professor Dickey is that irrespective of how many times I've read a play, he will discuss something that I've never even thought about. His approach to Shakespeare is sometimes oblique and other times outright revolutionary.

He is also a great person to get to know, and extremely generous in the amount of work he demands from students (8 plays; 1-2 pg. paper; 8-10 pg. paper; and a final only with quote identification/explication). He is open to all kinds of student interpretations and isn't afraid to let class discussion guide the lecture a little bit.

Dr. Dickey is the worst professor I've had at UCLA. I love Shakespeare--I LOVE Shakespeare--but I hated going to Dr. Dickey's class. His lectures were utterly pointless. They were limited to discussions of plot, but that's not the worst of it. He wasted *hours* by having students read the texts out loud in class. And not just once or twice, but at every class meeting. Maybe he was trying to engage us in the texts, but this is an upper-division English course: anyone taking it should be able to engage the texts on his or her own. (Not only that, but listening to cold readings of Shakespeare by non-Theater majors is incredibly painful.) Personally, I think he was trying to pad his skimpy lectures. He offered maybe ten minutes' worth of real information per two-hour session. If this were a high school class, I would be very impressed. But if you're looking for a college-level course, look somewhere else. I would recommend to Dr. Dickey that he sit in on some of Dr. Watson's lectures so he can hear what a *real* Shakespeare lecture sounds like.

Dickey is amiable, well read, and youthful both personally and in his approach to the subject matter. What more could a senior ask for?

Don't take the Beat seminar unless you're prepared to endure a quarter of mysoginy and racial, and at times economic, homogeneity.Aside from this the class is truly a worhtwhile study in a great period of American literary history.

Do yoursefl a favor and take this course during your last quarter, senior year. You will never be the same afterwards.

Course(s) taken: Shakespeare's Later Plays, Lit of the Beat Generation

Dickey is among the greatest professors I've ever had. He's brilliant, fun (and funny), kind, approachable, and intensely passionate about his material. His Shakespeare lectures are nothing less than fascinating--we were always surprised when our two hours with Prof. Dickey were up. The quizzes can be bestial, but he's extremely fair with the papers (if you write a good paper, he gives you a good grade, but if you half-ass it, he KNOWS). I could honestly go on for pages about how amazing he is. Don't leave UCLA without taking a class from him.
And in response to the previous posting: 142B is a lecture course--there are no "discussions." Therefore, a "contrived discussion"=well-structured lecture.

I absolutely hated his class. It was so boring I fell asleep. He talked very softly even though people who sat in the front had to strain their ears to hear him. The reading assignments was so horrible (all have to do with death and suicide). Unless you want to incur yourself with depression disorder try to avoid his class. Not just him but his TA Kate (she the worst TA i've ever had on the North side of the campus). She seems nice and all that but so unfair. THis class makes me never want to venture to this side of campus ever again.

I absolutely hated his class. It was so boring I fell asleep. He talked very softly even though people who sat in the front had to strain their ears to hear him. The reading assignments was so horrible (all have to do with death and suicide). Unless you want to incur yourself with depression disorder try to avoid his class. Not just him but his TA Kate (she the worst TA i've ever had on the North side of the campus). She seems nice and all that but so unfair. THis class makes me never want to venture to this side of campus ever again.

DICKEY is an excellent professor. He made theater and plays much more interesting to read and analyze than I expected before taking the class. We read about a dozen plays throughout the quarter and for the most part they were good selections. Also, I thought both of his TAs (Jon especially) were awesome. Dickey is smart, funny, and really knows what he is doing. The class was pretty easy for an english class. Only one paper, a few quizzes, and a final...not bad. I recommend him.

What can I say about Professor Dickey that hasn't already been said? The man is great. Honestly, I'm not that gung-ho about Shakespeare, but taking the class with Dickey helped me understand and appreciate the later plays we studied.

Dickey pays very close attention to the details that most people overlook when reading Shakespeare. From staging to syntax, Dickey shows how even the tiniest detail can make a difference in possible interpretations of the work.

Most importantly, he's very open to interpretation and abstract ideas; he's one of those professors who considers the ideas that you DO have instead of knocking you down for what you DON'T have. It's awesome that he doesn't give a midterm--but beware, because you're pretty much forced to read ahead, since he gives quizzes for each play. If you get a chance to take 142B with Dickey, then do so--great class/great professor.

I took his Litt of Drama and going in I was a little scared because I am so bad at litt. But this class was a breeze. Dickey is very open to different interpretations as long as you can back it up with some part in the script. There isn't a wrong answer as long as you can tell him why you see what you say. Most of the class time is class discussion. Dickey asks a general question and then the class gets to discuss and it goes free form for a bit until he asks another general question. He's very interested in what his students think. His final is short answer and long essay but if you've been to class and done the reading you should be prepared.

Well now. From the perspective of someone who is only a casual reader of poetry, a lot of the class seemed boring. Dickey talks very softly and slowly so unless you are absolutely captivated by the subject, you'll doze off. There are definitely good days and bad days in the class. On a good day, Dickey will have class discussions, activities, funny pictures, and interesting anecdotes (like the one about how he lived by Snoop Dogg). On a bad day, he lectures and everyone falls asleep. Dickey really is a nice guy and taught me the delicate art of scansion. So the class IS worth taking.

The TAs grade most of the stuff and constantly tell you to "analyze, analyze, analyze!" even when you can't analyze any further. The exams are relatively easy and the assignments are nothing to get too worked up over. They're ungraded.

By the way, fame is a bee. You'll know the entire poem by the end of class. Trust me.

professor dickey is NOT what all these reviews have made him out to be!! his midterm and final for 95A were ridiculous - the IDs he chooses are extremely unfair. he may come off as a nice guy, but beware: he isn't what he seems.